A conventional personal measuring device is known that allows patients to measure various data by themselves in places other than medical institutions. For example, people with diabetes, who have to control their blood sugar levels daily, use a personal measuring device (a blood sugar meter) to measure the blood sugar levels four times a day (after or before meals and at bedtime) and write the results down in their notebooks for treatment. They go to a hospital about once a month and present the measurement record to a doctor for receiving the doctor's diagnosis or directions about the self-administration of blood sugar levels.
The conventional personal measuring device may use consumable materials, such as disposable reagents, sensors, and test papers. For example, the blood sugar meter electrically measures blood sugar levels by a sensor on which a blood drop obtained from a patient's fingertip or the like is placed. This sensor is thrown away after use.
When visiting a hospital, users of such a personal measuring device that requires reagents, sensors, test papers, or other consumable components have to purchase the reagents, etc. in a large amount necessary for the whole period of time until the next visit to the hospital and carry them home. Alternatively, those users have to visit medical institutions to purchase the reagents, etc. every time the stock on hand is running low.
Recently, a remote medical examination system also is known that allows patients to receive a doctor's diagnosis at home. In the remote medical examination system, a personal measuring device is connected to a host computer of a medical institution via a communications network such as a telephone network, and measured data from the personal measuring device are transmitted to the medical institution via the communications network. Even with this system, however, when the personal measuring device uses consumable materials such as reagents, the patients have to manage the stock of consumable materials by themselves and visit the medical institution to purchase the consumable materials.
There may be a variation in ingredient of reagents for each production lot. Therefore, measured data are corrected generally in accordance with the calibration curve information of each production lot of the reagents (i.e., a lot correction). Moreover, the ingredients of the reagents may degrade with time after manufacture of the reagents. This may leads to a difference in result between the measurement performed shortly after the manufacturing date of the reagents and the measurement performed closer to the expiration date of the reagents, even if the reagents have the same production lot. Thus, the measured data also should be corrected in view of degradation that depends on the period of time between manufacturing of the reagents and performing of the measurement.
A conventional measuring device using a dry-type measuring element is known as well. This measuring device reads a lot number or the like from bar-code information attached to each measuring element and selects the measurement conditions and a calibration curve that are suitable for the measuring element to be used. However, the device configuration is complicated, and it is troublesome for patients to carry out corrective operations for every measurement.
To solve the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a measurement support system that automatically can perform the stock management, supply, etc. of consumable materials when a measurement device uses the consumable materials, and correct measured data properly in accordance with the state of the consumable materials, thereby reducing the burden on users of the measurement device.